AVON, Conn. (WTNH) — A black bear attempted to break into a home on Deepwood Drive in Avon on Monday, according to officials at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP.)

Officials believe the bear was attempting to break in to get to a birdfeeder that was inside.

The attempted break-in has left neighbors deeply unsettled as bear sightings have become all too common in the neighborhood.

Dustin Puhalski said two bears also broke into his family’s residence. One bear went in through a window and broke it, while the other came through the back door.

The bears proceeded to raid the kitchen and cause damage to the home. Puhalski said the scariest part was that screaming and shouting did not work to scare away the bears.

“I just looked directly into my kitchen, and the bear was walking right out of it, they tore apart the kitchen one through the cupboards I noticed my daughter’s cupcakes [were] the main reason they went in,” Puhalski said.

Puhlaski told News 8, that the bears are not running away when they hear screaming and shouting.

DEEP officials told neighbors to make a loud sound with fireworks or firecrackers to scare away the bears. Pulaski said DEEP told them to purchase a firearm, or paintball fun to frighten the bears.

“At first I did start to scream and yell at them and they would take off, but now they don’t seem to do that so now we have a loud explosion… and DEEP told us to get some type of firearm even if it is a paintball gun with frozen paintballs that would definitely scare them off,” Puhlaski said.

Neighbors say the bears are becoming used to the humans.

Last week, an Avon woman was attacked by a black bear who bit her arm and leg on New Road.

Another Deepwood Drive resident said he saw a bear in his backyard on Monday morning, rummaging through items left behind by a party over the weekend.

To help keep bears away, DEEP recommends getting bear-proof trash cans and keeping them inside. Officials also recommend not putting bird feeders out in the yard.

The video below aired in our 8 p.m. newscast on May 1, 2023.